Steam traps are devices for eliminating condensed water in steam circuits, both in heat-consuming apparatus and in actual steam supply lines.
In other words, the traps eject the fluid in liquid form and retain the vapour which has a high energy content.
The traps also have a secondary function which consists of eliminating any air and gases existing in heat-consuming apparatus at start-up and during operation.
At present, the criteria used for defining a good steam trap are as follows: it must allow rapid ejection of the condensates, be adaptable to variations in flow rate, be adaptable to variations in pressure before and after, be able to eliminate air and gases easily, be able to withstand harsh weather conditions and not be adversely affected by the presence of oil or other liquids that may have leaked from the coils.
With regard to the energy saving represented by its installation, the following aspects should be taken into consideration: the leakage of steam occurring in its presence must be minimum, the energy for water retention must be recuperable and it must allow the adaptation of insulation.
Certain other things must also be considered in connection with the installation and maintenance, such as: minimum cost of purchase, ease of assembly, reduced maintenance costs, operability in any position, capacity to withstand water hammers, resistance to internal and external corrosion, ability to function in the presence of impurities and furring, and quick, easy diagnosis of operation.
There are on the market, and can therefore be considered representative of the state of the art, a number of mechanical steam traps, such as the closed float, free float, float and lever, tray and inverted float types.
There are also other traps of the so-called thermostatic group, such as the expanding single-metal type.
There is a third, thermodynamic group and a fourth or mixed group, the most representative of which are the pulse and labyrinth type steam traps.
All the aforementioned groups, without exception, have a number of advantages, but they also have their disadvantages. The object of the subject invention is to eliminate the latter completely.